Sandshrew (Pokémon)

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Sandshrew サンド Sand #027
Artwork from FR/LG
Type Ground ' Unknown Unknown Blue-Striped Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown	Category Mouse Pokémon
Ability Sand Veil Blue-Striped -----	Exp. at Lv. 100 1,000,000
Regional Pokédex numbers Kanto #027 Johto #048 Hoenn #112 Sinnoh — Unova Not in any regional Pokédex
Regional Browser numbers Fiore R— Almia R— Oblivia
Height 2′00″ Imperial 0.6 m Metric 2′00″/0.6 m Red-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m Blue-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m
Weight 26.5 lbs. Imperial 12.0 kg Metric 26.5 lbs./12.0 kg Red-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg Blue-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg
Dex color Yellow	Catch rate 255 (33.3%)
Body style Blue-Striped	Footprint      Blue-Striped
Gender ratio Gender unknown Unknown Gender unknown
Breeding Ground group 1 cycles (255 minimum steps)
EV yield HP 0 Atk 0 Def 0 Sp.Atk 0 Sp.Def 0 Speed 0 Base Exp.: 93 Battle Exp.: 931*
External links On Smogon Pokédex: Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX Artwork on Bulbagarden Archives

Sandshrew (Japanese: サンド Sand) is a Template:Type2 Pokémon.

It evolves into Sandslash starting at level 22.

Biology

Physiology

A Sandshrew is a ground-dwelling rodent notable for its defensive capabilities. Its body is mostly covered in a dry, tough hide which is colored to blend in with the sands of the desert. It can curl into a tight ball about the same size as a basketball to protect its soft underbelly. Its primary weapon is the small but sharp claws on its paws, which are also useful for burrowing and can sometimes be poisoned.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Sandshrew's special abilities are extremely limited compared to other Pokémon. It has a greater control over the ground and sand than the average Pokémon, mostly derived from adaptation to its habitat.

Behavior

In the wild, Sandshrew are mostly defensive by nature. They spend much of their time hidden underground in their burrows and will kick up sand or curl into a ball to escape predators. They may venture out to hunt, taking advantage of the desert sands to hide themselves.

However, with the help of a trainer, a Sandshrew can become bolder and much more daring, and can even be trained to swim despite the fact that they are weakened by the water. They are still fond of curling up, though, even if not for defense.

Habitat

They are adapted to dry, arid areas. Thus, they can be commonly found in deserts and grasslands, and sometimes in river valleys or the upper levels of caves as well. Wherever they are, they live underground in burrows.

Diet

Main article: Pokémon food

Sandshrew do not require a lot of water, due to a very efficient system of staying hydrated with minimal moisture. They hunt for prey in the wild.

In the anime

An ailing Sandshrew is seen briefly near the beginning of Clefairy and the Moon Stone.

Sandshrew was first featured in The Path to the Pokémon League. It was owned by a Pokémon trainer named A.J.. Despite A.J.'s seemly barbaric training methods (e.g. using a whip), it was very loyal to him.

A Sandshrew was one of the Pokémon that played Hide-n-Seek in Pikachu's PikaBoo. Sandshrew hid in front of a brick wall.

Mira enlists Ash and his friends to help her retrieve her Sandshrew that is lost at the bottom of an artificial lake created by a dammed river in Sandshrew's Locker!.

It also appeared in Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part One.

A Sandshrew appeared in Camping It Up!.

In the manga

Professor Oak had a Sandshrew in the Electric Tale of Pikachu.

In the Pokémon Special manga

Sandshrew makes a cameo in Onix is On!, part of the Red, Green & Blue chapter, battling against Red's Bulbasaur as a Pewter Gym trainer's Pokémon.

Red had a Sandshrew in Pokémon Special he uses to fight Template:Type2s.

In the TCG

Main article: Sandshrew (TCG)

Game data

Pokédex entries

Game locations

In side games

Base stats

Type effectiveness

Template:DP type effectiveness

Learnset

Template:Learnset intro

By leveling up

|- style="text-align:center" | style="text-align:left" | ground | style="background:#915121" |  ground 

| style=" background:#FFF" | 4 | style=" background:#FFF" | 1 | style=" background:#FFF" | Sandshrew | style="display:none; background:#FFF" | {{{6}}} Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Movelist/note

By TM/HM

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By breeding

Template:Eggmoves Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Eggmoves/note

By tutoring

Template:Tutor Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4

|- style="background:#B88E6F" | colspan="13" | Bold indicates a move that gets STAB
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only from an evolution of this Pokémon
A colored initial indicates that the move is not available to be tutored in this game,
while a colored background indicates that the move is available. |} |}

Side game data

Template:Side game

Evolution

Template:Evobox/1

Sprites

Gen	Game
I	Red	Blue	Yellow		Red (Ja)	Green	Back
II	Gold	Silver	Crystal				Back
III	Ruby	Sapphire	Emerald		FireRed	LeafGreen	Back
IV	Diamond	Pearl	Platinum		HeartGold	SoulSilver	Back
V	Black	White	Black 2	White 2			Back

For other sprites and images, please see Sandshrew images on Bulbagarden Archives.

Trivia

• Sandshrew is the first Template:Type2 Pokémon in National Pokédex order.
• Sandshrew and Sandslash share the same species name with Rattata, Raticate, Pikachu, and Raichu. They are all known as Mouse Pokémon, though Rattata and Raticate have also been called Rat Pokémon.
• Although Sandshrew was introduced in Generation I as a pure Template:Type2, it could not learn any Ground-type attacks via level-up until Generation III.

Origin

Though its design appears to be inspired by armadillos, its actual inspiration was the pangolin, which is a scaly-anteater by another name. It curls up into a ball, has sharp claws, and lives in desert regions.

Name origin

Sandshrew's name is a combination of sand and shrew, a small rodent-like mammal. Its Japanese name simply refers to sand.

In other languages

• German: Sandan
• French: Sabelette - From sable (sand) and belette (weasel).
• Korean: 모래두지 Moraeduji
• Chinese (Taiwan and Hong Kong): 穿山鼠 Chuan Shan Shű - A portmanteau of 穿山甲 Chuan Shan Jia (pangolin) and 鼠 (mouse). Literally means "mouse that passes through mountains".

External links

• Sand-Attack, the fanlisting for Sandshrew

Notes

← #{{{prevnum}}}: Raichu

Pokémon

#{{{nextnum}}}: Sandslash →

This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species.